What this means aromatically is that essential oils have an incredible ability to enter the body through the lungs and disperse throughout the body in a way that most other medicines are unable to achieve. The neuroscience behind how this works is somewhat complex and still under investigation, but many years' worth of trials and clinical use have shown that aromatic intake of essential oils can help improve mood, eliminate stress, increase energy levels, boost immunity, and relieve pain.
As long as you obtain certified, pure, therapeutic grade or therapeutic grade varieties -- these typically cost more than essential oils that have been cut or otherwise adulterated with cheaper oils and fillers -- essential oils can be safely used aromatically for these and many other purposes. The scent of lavender oil, for instance, is known to help relax the body and mind, while peppermint can help improve mental clarity, reduce fatigue, and increase energy levels.
You can learn more about the benefits of essential oil aromatherapy by visiting the University of Maryland Medical Center's medical reference guide:
http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/aromatherapy-000347.htm
Beyond aromatherapy, essential oils can also be used topically to treat all sorts of conditions ranging from acne and allergies to headaches and indigestion. Just a few drops of essential oil applied to the hands, wrists, feet, abdomen, or lower back can provide relief for a number of ailments. Since they are lipotropic, or fat soluble, essential oils pass easily through the skin into the bloodstream and surrounding tissue. In most cases, essential oils can be applied topically on or near areas where relief is needed.
Both lavender and chamomile essential oils can be applied undiluted, and in fact work best this way, while stronger essential oils like cinnamon and oregano typically must be diluted with carrier oils like olive or hemp seed before being applied topically. A general rule of thumb is that most highly-concentrated essential oils need to be diluted to between one and five percent active oil, with the other 95 to 99 percent being the carrier oil.
You can learn more about the topical use of essential oils by visiting:
http://www.anandaapothecary.com/using-essential-oils.html
This helpful use chart also explains which essential oil blends are effective for which conditions, and how best to apply or use the oil: http://www.family-essential-oils.com/essential-oil-use-chart.html
Though a somewhat rarer form of essential oil use, ingestion is another way to take advantage of the healing properties of essential oils. Only pure essential oils that are unadulterated and sold as dietary supplements should be used in this way, and these typically include traditional herbal essential oils such as oregano, peppermint, lemon, caraway, and grapefruit. But others like eucalyptus and lavender have also been shown to produce positive results.
Eucalyptus oil, for instance, is a common ingredient in cough medicines and has been shown to alleviate respiratory ailments when taken orally. A blend of peppermint, caraway, fennel, and wormwood oils has also been shown in a double-blind study to help alleviate digestive disorders far better than the gastrointestinal reflux disease (GERD) drug metoclopramide. And peppermint oil by itself is similarly beneficial for treating irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
New York University's Langone Medical Center has put together a helpful document on essential oils that contains a wealth of additional information about their effective use, which you can access here: http://www.med.nyu.edu/content?ChunkIID=37427
Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/039183_essential_oils_emotional_healing_rejuvenation.html#ixzz3rj3bzHFs
